Bellator MMA has parted ways with nine fighters, notably Brandon
Girtz and Roger
Huerta.
In addition to those two, the following athletes are also no longer
on the California-based promotion’s roster: Callum
Ellenor, Arbi
Mezhidov, Frans
Mlambo, Paul
Redmond, Ryan Roddy,
Richie
Smullen and Gabriel
Varga.
Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a promotion official on Monday
following an initial report from
MMAjunkie.com. It is unclear whether the aformentioned fighters
were released or simply did not have their contracts renewed.
Girtz has been with Bellator since 2012, compiling an 8-8 mark over
the course of his promotional tenure. During that time, he went 1-2
in an entertaining trilogy against Derek
Campos and also posted wins over the likes of Saad Awad and
Melvin
Guillard.
Huerta, meanwhile, rose to fame in the UFC and even appeared on the
cover of Sports Illustrated for his fight with Leonard
Garcia in April 2007. “El Matador” went 1-2 during a brief
stint with Bellator in 2010 and returned in 2018, losing four
consecutive fights against the likes of Benson
Henderson, Patricky
Freire, Sidney
Outlaw and Christopher
Gonzalez.